Cheonan sashimi restaurant weekend lunch, salmon platter: Donghae Bada

I was out in Cheonan for the weekend and trying to decide where to grab lunch, so I ended up at Donghae Bada Hoetjip (동해바다횟집). This time, instead of just plain sashimi, I went with a set menu that let me try a few different things together. This post is a real visit-and-eat writeup, so hopefully it helps if you're looking for sashimi or seafood stew in Cheonan.

Parking and wait times at Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Cheonan

Donghae Bada Hoetjip, visited during a weekend trip to Cheonan

Donghae Bada Hoetjip is on Neulpureun 6-gil in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan, and there's a parking lot right in front of the restaurant. Parking is often a worry on weekends, but I liked that the lot here was pretty spacious. The exterior of the restaurant is also fairly large, so it wasn't hard to find on my first visit.

We visited on a weekend, but luckily there was no wait. Things might be different during busier hours, but we were able to grab a table right away without waiting.

Inside Donghae Bada Hoetjip: mood and seating

The place was big and clean

The main hall at Donghae Bada Hoetjip felt neatly maintained. There was plenty of room between seats, so it wasn't uncomfortable eating as a family. The staff were also quite friendly — you could easily ask for anything you needed, and the service made the meal feel relaxed.

I'm the type who notices small things like sauce bottles or chopstick holders, not just the tables, and those little details were clean too, which made a good first impression.

The first thing that caught my eye walking in the door was the fish tank. Looking inside, it was full of fish that looked really fresh.

There was a coffee machine and ice set up in the store. It seems like a nice touch to grab a cup of coffee for dessert after a good meal, haha.

What the 110,000-won sashimi and seafood stew set for two includes

We went with the set menu

What we ordered was the Donghae Bada Hoetjip sashimi platter + seafood stew (2 people) set for ₩110,000. On top of that, we added one order of fried rice for ₩3,000, a cola for ₩2,000, rice bowls at ₩2,000 x 3, and soju for ₩5,000.

• Sashimi platter + seafood stew (2 people) ₩110,000
• Fried rice x1 ₩3,000
• Cola ₩2,000
• Rice x3 ₩2,000 each
• Soju ₩5,000

After sitting down, we ordered the set. Sashimi came included, and we could choose between a soup-style stew or a braised dish — we went with the stew this time.

There were quite a lot of banchan (side dishes) that came out as standard. It wasn't just the sashimi on its own — there were plenty of other things to eat alongside it, so the table filled up quickly. Because of that, I kept thinking, "there's more to eat here than I expected."

How the sashimi platter tasted: salmon was the best piece

The sashimi was fresh, and the salmon was especially delicious

What I was most looking forward to in the Donghae Bada Hoetjip set was, of course, the sashimi. I tried it first, and overall it felt nicely fresh. The texture was good, and I didn't notice much of a fishy taste.

Of everything, salmon was personally my favorite. I loved the soft texture unique to salmon, and my chopsticks kept reaching for it more than the other fish. I ate the sashimi dipped in both chojang (vinegar-chili sauce) and soy sauce, mixing things up as I went. I'd suddenly craved sashimi during our weekend trip to Cheonan and ended up here, and since the fish was in good condition, the first dish alone was already satisfying.

The seafood stew at Donghae Bada Hoetjip: a hot, spicy broth

The Cheonan seafood stew had that spicy-hot kick!

Then the stew we'd chosen arrived. We picked the seafood stew instead of the braised dish, and tasting the broth first, it wasn't a mild seafood stew at all — it had a spicy-hot kick.

The broth, drawn out from the seafood, had a spicy edge added on top, which made it great for spooning up a little between bites of sashimi. I personally like this kind of spicy-hot broth, so it worked well for me. As the stew kept simmering, the broth seemed to get even deeper in flavor compared to when it first arrived.

Looking around, though, quite a few other tables had ordered the braised dish instead. So next time, I'd like to try the braised seafood dish instead. Since we picked the stew this round, switching to the braised version next visit could be a fun way to compare the two.

Is the two-person set enough food?

The portion was generous for two people

The Donghae Bada Hoetjip 2-person set was a generous amount for two. As we kept eating, the portion turned out to be bigger than I expected. At first I thought the sashimi and stew together would be just about right, but with all the side dishes plus the stew, we ended up quite full.

On top of that, we'd added a fried rice. Eating fried rice on top of an already full stomach meant we were truly stuffed by the end. If you're visiting in a bigger group, the menu would probably feel more relaxed portion-wise, and if it's just two of you, it might be worth checking the size of the basic set before adding extras.

The banchan side dishes served with the set

There were so many side dishes it made the meal fun

One thing that stuck with me about this visit to Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Cheonan was the banchan. There were more varieties than I expected, so it felt like the table was set with a whole spread rather than just sashimi and stew.

For people like us who enjoy eating a little of everything, this kind of spread was a great fit. A bite of sashimi, then a side dish, then a spoonful of the stew's broth in between — the meal never felt monotonous. So from the moment the food arrived to the very end, we ate quite full.

What to know before visiting Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Cheonan

• Parking: lot in front of the restaurant, fairly spacious
• Wait: none when we visited
• Interior: sizable and generally clean
• Kids: baby chairs and baby dishware available
• Order: set menu + choice of stew + added fried rice
• Sashimi: fresh overall, salmon was especially good
• Stew: spicy-hot style seafood stew
• Portion: generous for two people
• Banchan: many varieties, plenty to eat
• Service: very friendly
• Next time: planning to try the braised seafood dish

Final verdict on Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan

Donghae Bada Hoetjip was where we ended up eating during a weekend trip to Cheonan. We went with the set menu, choosing sashimi and stew and adding fried rice on top, and the portion turned out bigger than expected, leaving both of us full. The sashimi was fresh overall, with salmon being especially good, and the seafood stew had a spicy-hot broth that paired nicely with the raw fish.

Above all, having a wide variety of banchan meant there was plenty to nibble on throughout the meal. The restaurant was also large and clean, with even small details like the sauce bottles well kept, and having baby chairs and baby dishware made it comfortable to visit with a child.

If you're looking for a spot in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan for sashimi, seafood stew, and braised seafood together, or a place to eat comfortably with a child, this one might be worth checking out. Next time I'll try the braised seafood dish and share another review!